Christmas in January!

Here is the proof that we celebrated Christmas this year! And the excuse I claim for the ridiculous amount of time it has taken me to post said proof is that since we left NY on 1/1/11, at least one of us has been sick every day. Our medical bills for this month are higher than they were all year last year. Samantha is finally on the mend from horrible ear infections and bronchitis, so we are hopeful health is here to stay...and spring will come quickly. {I spoke too soon as Paige made a late night trip to the doctor last night with the flu}

We left Myrtle Beach on Christmas Eve {after an hour delay}...

After a quick plane ride {of which all three kids were AMAZING} and just over an hour in the car, we arrived at my sister's house to celebrate with family. The greatest joy of Christmas this year was this moment...

My Aunt Joyce meeting Samantha for the first time. She has fought the battle of her life this year as she faced very aggressive cancer. She has been a huge part of my life since I was a baby, so to have her with us for Christmas and see her with my baby was the best gift of all! Her faith is such an example to me, as she continues to be a prayer warrior for others and trust God completely with her life. We finished the night in true style with too many gifts for the kids, a pinata and way too much food!

Christmas morning was perfect! I have always been one who desired to stay home for Christmas, but this was just where we needed to be this year. It turns out, home really is where the heart is. And although I enjoy my new house and we are ~slowly~ starting to feel like the beach is home for us, my heart still feels like Rochester is home. I needed this visit just at this time as I had been homesick and struggling with just how ~slow~ this feeling settled thing is taking. Everyone says 5-6 years and you'll feel like you're home. We're almost 3 years in, so I guess half-way is better than nothing. Christmas morning was totally chaotic with 5 children 7 years old and younger, but I wouldn't have traded it for the world! We've learned a few lessons for the next time we do this!

Boppa and Samantha Grace on her first Christmas.

The remainder of the week was full of spending time together in the warm house simply enjoying one another {and maybe just a FEW trips to Wegmans...oh, how I miss that place!}. These two girls enjoyed being together so much.

Our trips to NY are often packed with visiting friends all over and we end up totally exhausted. This time, with the freezing weather and Samantha being so little we opted for less craziness, and it was perfect. We missed seeing everyone on our list, but we enjoyed the simplicity of just being together. The snow was much more exciting for my kids than it was for me. I stayed true to the mom I've always been and allowed Daddy to have fun playing in the snow. I know, give me the "Mommy of the year" award, right? I snuck out for a few pictures, but that was more than enough for me.

Leaving is always the hardest part. The kids are still young enough to say goodbye and not realize quite how long it will be until we are together again. I, on the other hand, know exactly how long it will be and it hurts. But my folks have a trip coming up and my sister and her family will be here in April. Staying positive, I focus on how thankful I am that we can make these trips happen. Thankful for parents who help cover the cost to fly our {not so little} family of 5 so my heart can get re-fueled. And I always come back to the peace we have about being exactly where we are. Life may not be exactly how we pictured it or the way we hoped it would be, but God's plans are always best!
This is a rare shot for so many reasons, but particularly because Sammie is crying. That rarely happens. We should have known there was more going on...the beginning of our never-ending-doctor-appointment-month!